Once Zayn's in the house, he tells his Mama to put it in a vase which she refuses because it's only one flower. But she does put it in a tall glass cup and gives it to him.
Zayn places it on his desk, it's placed near the center and against the wall. He can't see it like he'd like to but he touches it ever so often.
"It'll wilt faster if you keep on touching it." Louis' words repeat in his mind and he pulls his hand away, he likes it because it's from Louis but he doesn't want it to die too soon.
He wants to savior its smell and its touch, he doesn't want this one beautiful thing he has to wilt away because he's not sure he'll ever get another one from Louis.
Later that evening during dinner, Zayn talks about everything him and Louis did while they were out from the ice cream shop to the floristry. He talks about the smells and the tastes and the touches, he talks about how soft everything was but he never tells them that they aren't nearly as soft as Louis is. He never mentions the words that Louis said and the feelings they gave him, Zayn didn't want his parents to keep him away from Louis if they didn't like what he had to say.
"That's great, baby. I'm glad you had a great time," Mama says softly as she takes one more bite of the chicken that Papa made.
"Yeah, I'm really happy we let you go. I haven't seen you smile so big in a while." Zayn bites down on his lip because he doesn't want to say that he hasn't been very happy unless he was with Louis or down by the lake.
"Thanks for letting me go, it was an experience that I hope I can experience again."
"Maybe you will," Papa says. That lets Zayn know that it's possible for him to go out again, that all he would need was their permission and he would be able to go. He won't push it though, he knows the more that he asks, the more that his parents will become suspicious that he might be up to something.
"Love you guys." It's quiet but they can still hear him, they smile and although he can't see it, he can feel it.
"Love you too," Papa says.
Mama smiles. "Love you more, baby."
That night, when Zayn's laying in bed, he thinks of all the things he's touched and all the scents he's smelled and the desserts he's tasted. It was a lot for him to process because everything felt, tasted and smelled so good, he wanted all of that again. He was needy and anxious for more, he hopes that Louis isn't too busy the rest of the summer because he wants to spend more time with him going out to these places.
He hoped they can eat at a proper restaurant next time, but he won't hope for too much because that sounds more like a date than just two friends hanging out.
Zayn likes the idea of the restaurant though, he knows he could have his Mama pick out his best clothes and Papa fix his hair up so he could look presentable. He'll talk to Louis like he's never talked to him before, he'll be able to face him and know he's looking at him rather than just hoping he is. Their eyes will meet, he knows they would, at least once.
He knows he'd enjoy it to, the food would taste and smell good, he'd smell Louis' cologne as they walked together afterwards - maybe to have ice cream at the shop Harry worked at. It all felt like a dream to him, but he knew it would sound too much of a date for Louis to agree to it.
Zayn thought about it for a while, his imagination running wild with things that could happen. But he falls asleep before they could get to the best part, the kiss he planned in his mind never happened.
-
The next week is slow without Louis coming over everyday or even calling the house phone number that Zayn knows Louis must've saved in his phone when he had his Papa call him. It's boring being in the house by himself, Zayn's Mama is at work from eight in the morning to seven in the evening for overtime. His Papa was out going to cooking classes which Zayn and Mama had managed to convince him to go to since he seemed so passionate about cooking. Papa didn't know, but Mama was working overtime to hopefully buy Papa a restaurant of some sorts so he could put his cooking skills to the test.
So, all week he was kissed on the forehead by his parents and told that there was warmed up food in the microwave for him when he was hungry. That's how it was for the past week, sitting in his house eating leftover food, listening to the radio that he got for his fifteenth birthday and waiting for someone to come by. Zayn wonders why Louis never comes over to see him like he had been doing for the entire summer, he understands that school is around the corner and he'll be starting up his junior year of college, so Zayn should be understanding but he isn't sure if he wants to be. He wants to be frustrated and angry but Louis' not obligated to see him him or to even be his friend, that's what makes him more sad than anything else.
When Zayn's laying on his bed and listening to a song by Alicia Keys on his radio a week after he last saw Louis, he begins to have this feeling in his stomach that reaches up through his body and wraps its fingers around his heart. It hurts. His hearts being squeezed, his stomach feels heavy and he can barely breathe.
It takes him a while to notice why he's feeling this way. After he's accepted how he feels, he realizes that he misses Louis.
YOU ARE READING
Touch | zouis
Fanfiction"I give anything to hear you say it one more time, that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes."
